Pearls

Five Principles of Virtue

The five principles of virtue when it comes to Australian pearls are as follows: lustre, colour, complexion, shape and size. See below for information about identifying pearl quality, or alternatively, view our Pearl Buyer’s Guide for an in-depth account of each of these five virtues.

Lustre

Lustre is often considered the most crucial virtue to consider when selecting a pearl for a jewellery piece. The most desirable lustre for the pearl to possess is a mirroring effect, and then passes down a scale from brightest to dullest. Australian South Sea pearls are farmed particularly for their supreme lustre, meaning those purchasing pearl jewellery from top Perth jeweller Linneys can rely upon an extremely high quality pearl for their desired piece(s).

Colour

Comprised of bodycolour, overtone and orient, colour is a highly personal preference when it comes to selecting a pearl. Bodycolour describes the dominant colour or shade of a pearl, whereas overtone refers to a layer of translucent colour over the bodycolour. Australian pearls can come in a large variety of hues and colour variants, providing for a uniquely customised pearl-buying experience at Linneys. 

Complexion

Each and every pearl has its own distinguishing features, and this is perhaps best reflected in the quality of each pearl’s complexion. Complexion refers to any blemishes or damages on the pearl’s skin. Some of these blemishes may diminish the quality of a pearl, however, some intricate blemishes may increase the value and rarity of your selected pearl.

Shape

Available in an extremely wide variety, the shape of a pearl will drastically affect the appearance and price of a pearl. Linneys categorise their Australian pearls as: round, near round, oval, button, drop, baroque and circle. Though it may come to personal preference, each and every shape is beautifully showcased within Linneys’ remove apostrophe range of pearl jewellery designs.

Size

Linneys Australian South Sea and Tahitian South Sea pearls begin at a size of 8mm. Any Australian South Sea pearl from Linneys that exceeds 13mm is priced for its extreme rarity, and similar to the shape virtue above, size is accounted for within Linneys’ extensive pearl jewellery range.

Linneys Fine Jewellery

With more than 40 years of experience in the field, Linneys are renowned as masters in pearl jewellery in Perth. The quality of pearl jewellery created by the Linneys team have passed multiple quality assurance tests which would satisfy even the most discerning of clients. With a variety of jewellery-making techniques passed down from generations of the Linneys team, clients can relax with the knowledge that all Linneys jewellery is finished by hand to the highest possible standard – cementing Linneys reputation as one of Perth’s finest jewellers.

Linneys also offers the unique opportunity to hand-select your favourite pearl for a bespoke design within our Subiaco studio from premium materials.

Visit one of our stores today or call +61 8 9382 4077 for more information about Linneys’ wide range of Australian pearl jewellery. We would be more than happy to answer any questions you might have about these pieces – and invite you to view our Pearl Buyer’s Guide for more information on these beautiful Australian pearl jewellery pieces.